Dance With Me
by DocBevCulver
Summary: JeanLuc gives Beverly a special gift for her birthday.


Title: Dance With Me  
  
Author: DocBevCulver   
  
Series: TNG  
  
Codes: P/C  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all, I only let them out to play.  
  
Author's Notes: This came to me while sitting in the living room. My muse should've been working on one of my longer stories and older WIPs, but she's a tease and likes to throw new stuff in, when I want old stuff finished. Ugh!  
  
Special Thanks: Go to Sandi for beta reading this little piece and her help in making the piece move smoothly.  
  
Summary: Jean-Luc gives Beverly a special birthday gift.  
  
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Her form swept around him, in an elegant sea of red. Her blue eyes sparkled and her face glowed. Her smilewas contagious and Jean-Luc Picard was not immune. His face wrinkled in a smile as she twirled before him in her new present.   
  
He had seen it in the window of a small shop onStarbase 212 and he knew he had to get it for her.  
  
As he watched her look in the full length mirror again, he knew he had made the right decision.  
It was her birthday tomorrow, and the annual Admiral's ball was in a few days, so he had a legitimate excuse for buying her the dress. He admitted to himself that he had an ulterior motive as well.   
  
He simply wanted to see her smile.  
  
He knew she would love it, and in return, he would get to see her in something other then her uniform, something more alluring. His eyes roamed over her as she began to twirl again, taking in the 'full effect' of the dress. The hemline floated delicately at her knees, accentuated by a thigh   
high slit, which gave the appearance that her strong dancers legs were never ending.  
  
His gaze moved from the twirl of the hem, slowly up her body, to her shoulders. The thin straps allowed him to see more of the creamy white skin of her shoulders and neck, more then he could remember seeing before. The v-shaped neckline revealed much of her chest with just a hint of cleavage, just enough to allow him to imagine what was hidden under the dress, without revealing too much.   
  
He looked to her lips and imagined kissing them deeply, while he caressed the milky white skin of her breasts, which remained hidden beneath the red silk.  
  
He didn't realize he was staring so intently, until her soft spoken words of concern registered. "I'm sorry, what where you saying?" He asked. He hoped that his best friend had not caught him openly gawking at her.  
  
"I asked you if you were okay. You looked pale there for a few minutes."  
  
He smiled, "I'm sorry. Just tired from my shift, I suppose." He hoped she would buy his feeble excuse and not question him any further. He really did not want to explain that he was gazing at her and basically undressing her in his mind. She would think of him as a dirty old man, instead of the dear friend who had given her a wonderful dress for her birthday.  
  
"Well, I guess I will have to wear my lovely birthday gift to the Admiral's ball?" Beverly Crusher asked.  
  
"Oh yes, and I hope that you will allow me to escort you?"  
  
Beverly turned, stunned. "You? At the ball? Dancing? I just don't believe it!" That last said, as a small laugh escaped her lips.  
  
"Yes. Me. Dancing, and only with you."  
  
Beverly smiled. "Well, I should change, I would hate to ruin this beautiful dress." She turned to the entrance of her sleeping area and spoke over her shoulder. "Will you be staying for dinner?"  
  
"Yes, I would be happy to have dinner with you." he answered as his mind wondered back to that dress and how it would look if it lay in a pool around her feet.  
  
He shook his head as he tried to remove the images. He knew he shouldn't have such thoughts about his best friend. Now, not after the way he had treated her. Since the time Q had shown him a warped version of the future, he had tried to keep his distance while trying to maintain some form of a friendship, which he had to admit, hadn't been a real good friendship as of late. He didn't want to get to risk being hurt or rejected again.   
  
He had tried to get closer after Kesprytt, but his hopes were shot down when she uttered one sentence. "Perhaps we should be afraid." He knew he had been a coward by not stating his feelings, but rather letting her read them from his thoughts. Maybe she had misinterpreted his thoughts. He said one thing but meant another. Maybe that was the reason she had shied away. Maybe she had been waiting for him to state his love for her.   
  
Now was a different time, and he couldn't take back the mistakes he had made, but he wanted to try again to move forward in their relationship and he knew the Admiral's ball would be the perfect time. She would be happy while dancing and he could spring his surprise on her then. He hoped that his plan would go smoothly.  
  
Soon they were enjoying their meal, both enjoying the small talk and the feel of old times which neither wanted to loose again.  
  
The day of the ball, Jean-Luc was all nerves. He knew he had to continue with his plans, because if he didn't, he was afraid he would never have the nerve to try again.  
  
He checked himself, once again, in the mirror. He wanted to be sure that his attire was perfect. The black tie was straight and his tuxedo was crisp and clean and the red rose in his lapel was beautiful and went well against the black. He was pleased and he hoped that Beverly would think the same thing.  
  
He couldn't wait to see her again in the dress. He hadn't felt this way in a long time and he had to admit, he enjoyed it and wanted, very much, for the feeling to remain.  
  
He checked his image in the mirror one last time, before he headed out the door to Beverly's quarters.Beverly examined herself in the mirror yet again. She had a feeling that something special was going to happen tonight and she hoped she was right. The look in Jean-Luc's face when she had donned her present for his inspection had sent chills down her spine. He hadn't looked at her in that way in a long while. Her stomach did a flip at the memory.  
  
"Just remain calm, Beverly. It's probably nothing," she spoke aloud as she tried to calm her nerves.

The chime sounded alerting her to a guest at her door. "Come," she spoke as she moved from the mirror to face the entrance.  
  
As Jean-Luc entered her quarters, Beverly felt her heart skip a beat and her stomach flipped again. 'Yes, something special is going to happen tonight' she mused as she smiled at her companion for the evening.  
  
"You look wonderful tonight, Jean-Luc."  
  
Jean-Luc tried to steady his heart at the sight of her in the red dress once again. She was simply breath-taking. The dress looked even eloquent. Her hair was upswept in a mass of soft red waves, with a few curls escaping and framing her face. She was beautiful.  
  
"As do you, Beverly." He extended the crook of his arm, "Shall we?"  
  
After they had danced for a while, Jean-Luc pulled Beverly close, their faces mere inches from each other. He knew he had to do it now for fear he would never be able to do it again.   
  
He slowly placed his lips upon hers.It started as a small kiss, but soon it became more, as both deepened the kiss and blocked the rest of the room from their minds.  
  
When they finally parted, Jean-Luc looked deep into her eyes and saw the look that had graced her face in the past when they were on the verge of becoming more than friends. Only this time, she didn't waiver, didn't retreat from him, allowing him to continue to hold her close.  
  
"Beverly Crusher, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."  
  
Beverly laughed, "Isn't that my line?"  
  
He smiled, "Not this time. Please let me finish."  
  
Beverly smiled shyly and motioned for him to continue.   
  
He took in a deep breath and continued to hold her close. "I know I've been aloof as of late, allowing our friendship to suffer some, but I want to change that. I want you to know that, first and foremost, I cherish our friendship."  
  
"As do I, Jean-Luc."  
  
He smiled and gathered all his strength to tell her the most important part. "But I want something more, and if you're willing, I would like a more 'personal' relationship with you?"  
  
"Oh, Jean-Luc..."  
  
He cut her off, "Before you say anything, I want you to know that I truly love you, with all my heart and soul and I've been an ass for too long. Trying to keep you at arms length and not telling you this after our encounter on Kesprytt. I was a coward, and after the trip to the 'future', I became even more scared that we couldn't make it work." He sighed, "But I don't want to be   
afraid of what the future may hold. I only want to be with you, here and now, and try to make it work."  
  
Beverly's eyes began to fill with tears at his declaration and her heart began to beat hard in her chest. She had been waiting so long to hear those words come from his lips, not just his mind, as she had heard through the implants on Kesprytt.  
  
She answered him in the first way she could think of. She pulled him close and kissed him fully, without hesitation. When they pulled back from each other, she stated. "I love you too, and I've been waiting so long to hear those words."  
  
He wanted to shout, but knew that would not be a good idea at their current venue. He smiled broadly and pulled her as close as he could, he didn't want the night to end. "Care to dance with me for the rest of our lives?"  
  
Beverly smiled brightly. "I would love to."  
  
The End  
  
July 16, 2004


End file.
